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Students band migrating songbirds

Students band migrating songbirds

Wildlife and fisheries science graduate student Emily Thomas holds a ruby-crowned kinglet so that undergraduate Alex Lamoreaux can take a photo. Penn State students have been helping Thomas capture, band and release birds at the Arboretum during the birds' fall migration.

Wildlife and fisheries science major Tim Schreckengost holds a ruby-crowned kinglet that has just received an ID band. Schreckengost is one of a number of Penn State students who have helped band nearly 400 birds so far this fall at the Arboretum. The data they collect will help researchers monitor bird populations and migration patterns, among other uses.

Emily Thomas, a master's candidate in wildlife and fisheries science, attaches a leg band to a songbird during a banding session on the grounds of the Arboretum at Penn State. Thomas, who holds a banding permit from the U.S. Geological Survey, spends one or two mornings per week banding birds and collecting data on them for use by researchers nationwide.

An Eastern towhee bites at wildlife and fisheries science major David Cornman as he extricates it from the "mist net," a net set up to help capture birds for banding. Cornman is one of a number of students helping band birds this fall at the Arboretum at Penn State under the direction of master's student and licensed bander Emily Thomas.

Emily Thomas, a graduate student in wildlife and fisheries science at Penn State, untangles a blue jay from the net in preparation for banding it. With the help of undergraduate students, Thomas has been banding birds this fall at the Arboretum at Penn State. The data they collect will be sent to the Bird Banding Laboratory at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, for use in studying birds' habits, migration patterns and longevity.

By blowing gently on the underside of the bird - in this case, a common yellowthroat - banding volunteers can check skin color. Yellowish areas indicate that the bird is carrying fat, which suggests it's a migratory bird rather than a year-round resident. Emily Thomas, a Penn State master's student in wildlife and fisheries science and a licensed bander, has been teaching other students how to band birds during the current migration season.

The white on this northern mockingbird's wings is one key to identifying the bird in flight. This mockingbird is one of nearly 400 birds that Penn State students have helped capture, band and release so far this fall. The banding sessions are held in a part of the Arboretum not far from Sunset Park and Overlook Heights.

Eric Perlock, a Penn State student in wildlife and fisheries science, examines a newly banded gray catbird during a bird-banding session at the Arboretum. A number of students have been helping master's candidate and licensed bander Emily Thomas capture, band and release birds at an area of the Arboretum near Sunset Park and Overlook Heights.